Dread Nation was an interesting story. The combination of early American “history” and a zombie story were a great blend. When a story is combined with “history” it seems to give the unbelievable part of the story more merit. This is the first book I have read that has combined these two genres. The story was unsettling, not only because of the zombies but also because of the raw racism throughout the book. Even though slavery was abolished, African Americans and Native Americans were treated as inferior and used as the white people’s personal protection from zombies. A plus in this story is that the main character, Jane, is a strong, black female.

Dread Nation was finalist for the Andre Norton Award in 2019, the Bram Stoker Awards in 2019, the Lodestar Awards in 2019, and won the 2019 Locus Award. This book would make a great book discussion for a book group. There are three major themes in Dread Nation: racism, corruption, and strength. The story takes place after the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, but racism is still alive and well in this America. Black and Native Americans are sent to school to learn to defend white people from shamblers (zombies) when they turn of age. The special schools teach them combat and proper etiquette for being hired by rich white Americans for their protection. Corruption in this story is within the government/elected officials. The main culprit is Mayor Carr. The Survivalist Party pushes the agenda that the best way to protect society is by using Black and Native Americans to defend the white citizens. The main character, Jane, is a great example of strength. She is a black girl, who is training to become a shambler fighter. Jane is smart, daring, and able to overcome obstacles.
Additional Citations:
Justina Ireland Awards. (2020, April 9). Retrieved June 22, 2020, from http://www.sfadb.com/Justina_Ireland